Barge Winch Safe Operations Revisited 
 

A safe winch operation requires following two paths.

With the 40 ton Nabrico DF-156 Barge Winch found on most  Higman barges, with your strength, you can pull 14,000 pounds without ever working out.  Add the extension bar and your pull capacity is increased to 17,800 pounds.  

Step one in a safe winch operation is keeping the winch in good mechanical condition.  That winch sitting on the corner of a your barge, is subject to many harsh environmental and operational conditions.  Salt water, sun, cable tension and bearing/gear wear are all in a constant struggle to break that winch down.  How often have you looked at a winch on a barge that has sat in a fleet for a period of time?  You may notice that corrosion quickly takes a toll on the uncoated gears and bearings. 

Mechanical Condition Inspection and Maintenance:

• Brake assembly - Check pads for wear; make

  This winch needs some maintenance.

  sure all parts operate freely. 
• Gear teeth - Are there broken teeth? Are they heavily corroded? Clean up corrosion and lubricate.
• Dog assembly - Ensure it is free to operate and parts are in good shape.
• Ratchet Assembly - Ensure all parts are free to operate.  Is the spring in place and in good shape?
• Winch wheel - Is the wheel in good shape; not rusted out and not bent.
• Winch wheel key - Is the winch wheel tight on the shaft and does not wobble when turned?
• Grease fittings - Has the winch been greased as per the barge maintenance schedule?  Is excess grease cleaned up?
• Cable and wire clamps - Is the cable in good condition and laid on the drum uniformly (no "bird nest")?  Look for damaged wire clamps.
• REPORT ANY WINCH DEFICIENCIES that  cannot be addressed by the crew on the "BARGE MAINTENANCE NEEDS REPORT".

Inspections should be conducted routinely before each use of the winch and in depth as per the Monthly Tow Service Guide.

2.  Safe Operational Techniques:

The winch operator must position himself in the proper location to prevent the possibility of injury when tightening or loosening a barge winch.  With high tension loads, the possibility of wet decks and operator error, situational awareness by the operator is a must. 

Safely operating your barge winch:

• Understand the proper operation of the winch.  If you are unsure, go to the "Friday Question" section of the Higman Computer Based Training website.  Complete and review, "Towing Gear, Set No. 2, NABRICO DF-156 40 Ton Manual Winch"
• Understand and stay out of the "Danger Zone".  This is the pie slice area starting at the drum and following the cable out 15 degrees on either side.
• When turning the winch wheel, positioned yourself on the side, facing the wheel, centered on the axis, in an upright position.  Do not lean over the wheel toward the drum. 
• The ratchet arm, inboard of the wheel, could catch during operation allowing it to swing up and hit you.
• Use a ratchet extension that is no more than 2 feet long.
• Tighten using the extension bar only from the side of winch to eliminate the chance of ankle/leg/head injury.
• Place the extension bar firmly on the end of the ratchet handle.
• Place feet firmly, shoulder length apart, facing winch.
• Extension bar should not be raised more than chest height.
• Use firm, smooth action.
• If your winch has an open spoke wheel, keep feet and arms out of the spokes on winches!
• If wheel surges, your foot is no match.  

  Stay out of the "Danger Zone".

The safe operation of your barge winch begins with you. Diligent maintenance, knowing the ins and outs of running the winch and using situational awareness will help you safely use this tool.

If you cannot bench press 270 pounds, no big deal.  Tell your friends you can pull in a barge by yourself with a force of 17,800 pounds! 

Nav Zone 

Matagorda Bay Current Meter

A new current meter will be installed in the next 90 days at the intersection of the ICW with the Matagorda Ship Channel. This meter is to be added to the existing PORTS (Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System) provided by NOAA.

The PORTS system includes many areas we operate on a regular basis, including Houston/Galveston, Mobile Bay, Sabine/Naches, and Lower Mississippi River. Each meter may provide tides, currents, wind, temperatures and barometric pressure.

PORTS can be accessed online:

http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports.html

Then click on the current meter location on the left side.

USCG Navigation General: 

Which position includes the effects of wind and current?

A: Dead reckoning position
B: Leeway position
C: Estimated position
D: Set position

Discounting slip, if your vessel is turning RPM for 10 knots and making good a speed of 10 knots, the current could be _______.

A: with you at 10 knots
B: against you at 10 knots
C: slack
D: with you at 2 knots

Your vessel is making way through the water at a speed of 12 knots. Your vessel traveled 30 nautical miles in 2 hours 20 minutes. What current are you experiencing?

A: A following current at 2.0 knots
B: A head current of 2.0 knots
C: A following current of 0.9 knot
D: A head current of 0.9 knot

You are steering a southerly course, and you note that the chart predicts an easterly current. Without considering wind, how may you allow for the set?

A: Head your vessel slightly to the right
B: Head your vessel slightly to the left
C: Decrease your speed
D: Increase your speed

In a river subject to tidal currents, the best time to dock a ship without the assistance of tugs is _________.

A: at high water
B: when there is a following current
C: at slack water
D: at flood

Stern Shots

Advanced Pilothouse Management Class, Feb 2012

M/V Sandpiper ready to go to work

Capt. Dwayne Richardson & Capt. Robert Nealy discuss maintenance with Chuck

Chris Ridley on the M/V San Antonio

Daniel Winegeart is happy to get his Masters license!

Johnnie Parker on the M/V Miss Sarah

French shipwreak from 1686 recovered in Matagorda Bay in 1996

 

The La Belle was one of Robert de LaSalle's four ships when he explored the Gulf of Mexico with the ill-fated mission of starting a French colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1685.  La Belle was wrecked in the southern end of Matagorda Bay the following year, dooming La Salle's Texas colony to failure.

 

The La Belle was a barque-longue, with three masts and a relatively shallow draft of about 8 feet.  Her beam was officially 14 ft 9 inches, and she was 54 ft 4 inches long with a cargo capacity of 40-45 tons. The ship was designed to be highly maneuverable, with the mainmast and foremast holding two sails each, while the mizzenmast supported a single triangular sail, and another small square sail hung from the bowsprit.

 

For over three centuries the wreckage of La Belle lay forgotten until it was discovered by a team of state archaeologists in 1995.

 

The La Belle is one of the most important shipwrecks ever discovered in North America.  The excavation, conducted in a cofferdam in Matagorda Bay, lasted almost a year and produced an amazing array of finds, including the hull of the ship, three bronze cannons, thousands of glass beads, bronze hawk bells, pottery and even the skeleton of a crew member.  The one million artifacts represent a kit for building a 17th-century European colony in the New World. 

The hull of the La Belle during the 1996 excavation.

The project has now shifted to the conservation phase, in which every artifact is carefully identified, cleaned and preserved.  The hull of the ship has also been reconstructed and is undergoing chemical treatment to preserve it.  Many La Belle artifacts are currently displayed at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, and others will be exhibited in museums around Matagorda Bay.